Stacking device for heavy cylindrical objects, such as wire reels



5 7 8 v 7 l 2 3 L A C I ms NL IE LE w L E EYmw www4. EHS HRAl @www SEwO PC d .Hs awww.. E GJ NB IO K C A T S Nov. 16, 1965 J7? I/zz for". faz Inova fir/zeile! BH" df? e nu $5 United States Patent O 3,217,875 STACIUNG DEVICE EUR HEAVY CYLINDRlCAL OBJECTS, SUCH AS WIRE REELS Raymond l. Scheihel, Lombard, 1li., assigner to Jefferson Electric Company, Bellwood, lll., a corporatinn of Delaware Filed Uct. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 316,019 d Claims. (Cl. 2116-65) The present invention relates to an improved stacking device for heavy cylindrical objects, such as wire reels, and to a palletized structure including same.

Small gauge copper wire is customarily supplied on reels which are about ve inches in diameter and six inches high. Heretofore, they have been packed for shipment in corrugated paper boxes with dividers, being packed eight to a box in layers of four each, Copper wire is readily susceptible to damage as by nicking, and the insertion of the reels into the individual compartments of the box, and removal therefrom, oftentimes results in the nicking of the outer layer of the wire on the reel. This is costly, since the outer layer oftentimes consists of many feet of wire; in addition to the material loss, the cost of inspection and of removal of the damaged wire is substantial.

It is an object of my invention to provide an arrangement for packing reels of copper wire for shipment which avoids the hazard of nicking, and the costs incident thereto.

According to my invention, the reels may be stacked on a pallet, up to a height of four feet and tied down. In order to stabilize the stacks, I have provided a stacking device. Thus, the reels are not enclosed in any box structure, but are merely placed on, or removed from, the stacking device for each layer, with the result that the handling involved is such that there is no hazard of nicking.

Another object of my invention is to provide a stacking device which is of simple construction and of low cost, and which is reusable.

According to this aspect of my invention, the stacking device consists of only two elements, a support board which is relatively stiff, and an overlying sheet member of substantial thickness having circular holes cut in it, corresponding to the diameter of the reel flange. Thus the stacking device being of coplanar structure and being of comparatively light weight, can be inexpensively stacked and returned to the wire manufacturer for reuse. The bulk of partitioned corrugated paper boxes render return and reuse uneconomical.

The support board may be fabricated from any one of a number of suitable materials but the handling of the stacking device incident to use, return and reuse has been found to result in a bending or a crushing of the edges, and in some types of material, a fracture of the support board itself, which renders the same unsuitable for further use. Therefore, a problem has arisen as to how to fabricate a stacking device of the type indicated so that the edges of the support board may be adequately protected.

According to this aspect of my invention, I fabricate the overlying sheet member of corrugated board which is of larger dimensions than the rectangular support board and then fold the marginal portions of the overlying sheet member down and under the lower surface of the support board. Thus the corrugated material of the overlying sheet member protects the edges of the support board. The parts are secured to each other by any suitable means; I have found stapling to be satisfactory and inexpensive.

A further object of my invention is to provide an arrangement as above described in which the edge protecting means is in the form of a box-like structure which has substantial rigidity with respect to edge crushing forces, and which at the same time presents a neat and finished appearance.

Other objects, features and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

With reference now to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of my invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a reduced elevation of the underside of the stacking device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevation showing the cut of the overlying sheet member prior to folding;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevation taken in the direction of the arrow 5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detailed fragmentary section similar to FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is an elevation of the palletized structure as a whole.

With reference now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the stacking device 10 comprises a support board 11 and an overlying sheet member 12. The latter has a number of circular openings 13 formed therein for accommodation of the reels 14 (FIG. 7). The marginal portions 15 of the sheet member 12 are folded downwardly and underneath the under surface of the support board 11, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The parts are secured together by staples 16 entering from the top surface, as shown in FIG. 1, and also by staples 17 entering from the under surface of the marginal portions 15, as shown in FIG.. 3.

A satisfactory material for the support board 11 is a type of pulp or chip board having a stiff porous core 18 as shown in FIG. 6, and paper covered surfaces 19. In the cutting of t-he support boards 11 from the stock, the material of the core 18 is exposed at the edges 22.

The overlying sheet member 12 is preferably of corrugated board, the corrugated core 2t) being shown in FIG. 6. The sheet member 12 is cut and folded so as to provde a box-like structure 21 which encloses the edge 22 and which is enough larger as to provide a space 23 between the edge 22 and the vertical wall 26 of the box-like structure 21, the vertical wall 26 being of a greater height than the thickness of the support board 11 so that the space 23 extends to the adjoining top and bottom surfaces of the support board.

The foregoing construction is preferably obtained by providing the sheet member 12 with two sets of fold lines, an inner set 2d and an outer set 25'. The spacing between the two sets represents the height of the vertical wall 26. The corner cut of the support board is such that it provides abutting edges 27 for the vertical walls 26, as shown in FIG. 5, and a mitered butt joint 2S for the marginal portions 15, as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, it is possible to provide a box-like structure which encloses all four edges of the support board 11 and preferably, the space enclosed by said boxelike structure is slightly greater than the space occupied by the marginal portion of the support board 11.

A well known characteristic of corrugated paper board is that it will absorb a certain amount of shock without transmitting the same to the underlying structure, and this is true even though the impact delivering device causes rupture or penetration of the out-er skin. The inherent protective action of the board is somewhat enhanced by the provision of the space 23 which is maintained by the rigidity of the vertical wall 26. Thus, the exposed edge 22 of the stitf porous core 18 of the support board 11 is very Well protected against crushing, bending, and chipping.

Furthermore, the box-like structure 21 performs a certain reinforcing action in its longitudinal direction which protects the support board 11 from cracking, although this action is believed to be partially due to the give f the box-like structure 21.

The staples 16 are preferably inserted from the corrugated board side of the assembly so that the full binding action of the head will be applied to the less resistant Corrugated sheet member 12 and so that the headed points will bite into the relatively resistant material of the support board 11. However, it isalso necessary to secure the marginal portions 15 to the support board 11 and for this reason a second series of staples 17 are provided, and the fact that the points 17' of these staples may penetrate and tear the upper surface of the overlying sheet member 112 has been found not to materially diminish the useful life of the stacking device.

It will be seen therefore that the stacking device, by virtue of the openings 13, provides recesses which interlock with the reels 14 of each layer. As such, the stacking device provides a bridging effect between adjacent single columns of reels, which bridging effect is repeated at each layer. The comparison, for instance, is between a single four foot column comprising eight reels stacked one above another, and a composite column which comprises, for example, six individual columns of the same height which are tied together at six inch intervals. In the former case, the height to diameter ratio of the column is approximately eight to one, whereas in the latter case it is approximately eight to three in one direction, and four to one in the other direction, assuming six reels in each layer.

The complete palletized structure is shown in FIG. 7, and it comprises a wooden pallet on which the reels 14 are stacked in layers with a stacking device 10 underneath each layer. The stacking device maintains regular spacing between the reels of each layer, and approximate vertical alignment of the stacking devices with each other insures satisfactory vertical alignment of the reels of each layer with the reels of the lower layers. I have found that exact vertical alignment is not necessary, and for that reason it is not necessary to provide a stacking device having recesses in both the top and bottom layers.

However, at the top of the stack, an inverted stacking device 10 is preferably employed. On a single pallet, there are preferably two or more separate stacks 31, and a wooden frame 32 of approximately the same dimensions as the pallet 30 is placed over all of the stacks 31. Then the assembly 30-31-32 is bound together with suitable strapping, such as cloth straps 33 having a draw-up buckle 34. Steel strapping may be used if desired, but I have found that the greater tensional resilience of cloth strapping provides a more secure palletized structure.

It will be understood that the complete palletized structure may include eight or more layers of reels 14, although, for the purpose of illustration, only two layers are shown in FIG. 7.

A satisfactory material for the support board 11 is known in the trade as ply fiber, in which the core 18 comprises side by side strips of wood, or wood ber, which are adhesively bound and molded into a at sheet, with the grain of the wood or fiber running lengthwise of the board 11. A core thickness of one-quarter inch has been found to be satisfactory for reels of the type described and arranged in eight layers of six reels per layer.

Although only a preferred embodiment of my invention is shown and described herein, it will be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the construction shown without departing from the scope of my invention, as pointed out by the appended claims.

I claim:

il. A palletizing structure for shipping wire reels comprising a pallet, a plurality of layers of wire reels supported by said pallet, a stacking device disposed beneath each layer, said stacking device comprising a support board, an overlying sheet member of substantial thickness and having marginal portions along four sides folded down over the four outer edges of said support board and underneath the lower surface of same, and means for securing said underturned marginal portions to said support board whereby said outer edges of said support board are protected by said downturned and underturned marginal portions, said sheet member having openings formed therein providing recesses for locating the reels of each layer with respect to each other, one of said reels being disposed in each recess, said stacking devices being uniform in size, shape and location of recesses and being located one above the other, whereby said assembly of stacking devices and reels is in the form of a stack resting on said pallet, a rigid top member overlying said stack, and means surrounding the assembly comprising the pallet, said stack, and said top member.

2. A palletizing structure as claimed in claim 1 in which the overlying sheet of said stacking device is provided with a first set of four fold lines and a second set of four fold lines spaced outwardly of said rst set to permit the formation of a marginal box-like structure for enclosing and protecting the edges of said support board, said first set of fold lines defining a rectangular. area slightly larger than the rectangular outline of said support board, and said second set of fold lines being spaced outwardly of said first set by a distance greater than that represented by the thickness of said support board, whereby the inner surfaces of said marginal box-like structure are spaced from the edge surface and the adjoining side surfaces of said support board.

3. A palletizing structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said support board is a pulp board having a pulp core and paper top and bottom surfaces, and in which said sheet member is corrugated paper board provided with inner and outer fold lines to permit the formation of a marginal box-like structure for enclosing and protecting the edges of said pulp board.

4. A palletizing structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said securing means comprises a series of staples entering said marginal portions from the under side of said stacking device, and which also includes a second series of staples entering said overlying sheet member from the top side of said stacking device and biting into said support board.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,574,904 3/1926 Kucera 206-65 1,850,714 3/1932 Gaylord 206-52 2,160,461 5/1939 OConnell et al. 206-65 2,215,252 9/1940 Randall et al. 217-26 2,444,326 6/1948 Baker et al. 206-65 2,556,844 6/1951 Istwan 20G-65 2,620,117 12/1952 Nemoede 229-30 2,728,479 12/1955 Wheeler 217k53 2,788,894 4/1957 Shifrer 206-65 3,122,265 2/1954 Innis 206-72 FOREIGN PATENTS 915,848 7/1946 France.

836,169 4/1952 Germany.

313,269 12/1933 Italy.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PALLETIZING STRUCTURE FOR SHIPPING WIRE REELS COMPRISING A PALLEL, A PLURALITY OF LAYERS OF WIRE REELS SUPPORTED BY SAID PALLET, A STACKING DEVICE DISPOSED BENEATH EACH LAYER, SAID STACKING DEVICE COMPRISING A SUPPORT BOARD, AN OVERLYING SHEET MEMBER OF SUBSTANTIAL THICKNESS AND HAVING MARGINAL PORTIONS ALONG FOUR SIDES FOLDED DOWN OVER THE FOUR OUTER EDGES OF SAID SUPPORT BOARD AND UNDERNEATH THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAME, AND MEANS FOR SECURING SAID UNDERTURNED MARGINAL PORTIONS TO SAID SUPPORT BOARD WHEREBY SAID OUTER EDGES OF SAID SUPPORT BOARD ARE PROTECTED BY SAID DOWNTURNED AND UNDERTURNED MARGINAL PORTIONS, SAID SHEET MEMBER HAVING OPENINGS FORMED THEREIN PROVIDING RECESSES FOR LOCATING THE REELS OF EACH LAYER WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, ONE OF SAID REELS BEING DISPOSED IN EACH RECESS, SAID STACKING DEVICES BEING UNIFORM IN SIZE, SHAPE AND LOCATION OF RECESSES AND BEING LOCATED ONE ABOVE THE OTHER, WHEREBY SAID ASSEMBLY OF STACKING DEVICES AND REELS IS IN THE FORM OF A STACK RESTING ON SAID PALLET, A RIGID TOP MEMBER OVERLYING SAID STACK, AND MEANS SURROUNDING THE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING THE PALLET, SAID STACK, AND SAID TOP MEMBER. 